William l



(No Model.)

W. L. CALDWELL.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

"i hted Feb.l9, 1889.

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PATENT FFICE@ ADVERTISING DEVICE.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,227, dated February 19, 1889. Application filed November 20, 1888. Serial No. 291,390. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, WILLIAM L. CALI) WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Achtertising Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my said invention is to provide a simple, convenient, and efficient de vice by which a very large number of advertisements can be displayed and brought prominently before the publie in such a manner as to impreSstheir contents forcibly upon the minds of those who see them, as will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure l is a side elevation of a device embodying' my said invention, a portion being broken'away to show the internal mechanism; Fig. 2, a horizontal section through the same on the dotted line 2 2; Fig. 3, a cross section on the dotted line 3; Fig. 4t, a detail sectional view on dotted line l 4L, and Fig. 5 a similar view on the dotted line 5 5.

In said drawings, the portion marked A represents the frame-work of the device, B the reels or rollers on which the display-curtains are mounted, and C said display-curtains.

The frame-work A 'is preferably in the form of a wagon-top or car, it being intended to mount the same on wheels and make the display on the public streets. Its sides are provided with three open spaces to receive the advertising-sheets, preferably representing panels, the middle one of which is the widest and intended for the principal display sheet or curtain. The two sides of said frame are of a substantially duplicate construction, as shown, and the signs and advertising matter are thus diplayed from each side of the car as it moves along. In the front. space of each side is mounted a bulletin-board, A', which is pivoted at the center of its top and bottom to arms a, which are hinged to the sides of the frame, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. Thus any current news can be displayed and the board reversed when desired, as when both sides are full of news of interest, which it is desired to displayfrom time to time. The interior of the frame-work is suitably arranged to support the reels and operating mechanism, and needs no special description, except incidentally in describing said mechanism.

The reels or rollers B are shown as formed of heads arranged at each end and connected by a suitable number of ribs. The heads are provided with journals which are mounted in suitable bearings on the internal frame of the device. Said reels extend from the rear end of the frame to the front oi' the central openings in its sides, and are arranged, one at the top and one at the bottom, on each side of the structure, being located ashort distancewitlr in said sides to allow curtainsof any length to be reeled thereon.

The journals f the two lower rolls are eX- tended through their front bearings and provided with pinions Z2 on their outer ends, which mesh with the gear-wheels b on the short shafts B', which are journaled in suitable bearings in the trame-work and provided with bevel gear -wheels h2 on their outer ends. Said bevel gear-wheels mesh with the gearwheels h3 on the transverse shafts B2, which are provided on their outer ends with the ratchet-wheels b4. Surrounding said ratchetwheels, and loosely mounted on each of these shafts, is a hollow lever, B3, having a eam pawl, b5, arranged to be forced into engage' ment wit-h the ratchet-wheel, a spring being provided to throw it back when the force is removed. (See Fig. 5.) The rear ends of each reel are provided with a sprocket-wheel, b", and each top reel is geared to the lower reel upon the opposite sides of the device by a sprocket-chain, B4, as shown in Fig. 3, and for the purposes which will be presently described. The short shafts B are also provided with ratchet-wheels B5, and a transverse lever, B6, provided with a pawl, D7, on its top, is pivoted to a hanger secured to the frame and extends under each of said wheels B5, so arranged that the pawl will engage therewith and secure it from rotating in one direction, being held into engagement by a spring, bs, until said levers have been forced down, which is done through a longitudinal lever, B7, pivoted centrally in a post extending up from IOO the iioor, the inner end of which extends under the end ot' the lever B, and the outer end of which extends to a position convenient of reach.

The main display-curtains or advertisingsheets C are each mounted on the top and bottom rcel of one side. They are of a suiiicient width to tit closely between the sides of the frame which surround the central opening and of a suitable length to accommodate the desiredy number el' advertisements. They are attached at each end to the reel and pass over an idler, c, arranged at each corner of the frame in position to hold the curtains close against said frame. A rigid back, c', is preferably mounted behind said curtains to prevent them from 'apping or vibrating during the motion of the car.

The curtains C are designed to till the openings at the rear en d of the structure, and are mounted upon the reels in the same manner as the curtains C, being' designed to contain pictures of a comic or noticeable character to attract the attention of the publie to the advertisement appearing on the curtain C. As will be readily understood, these pictures may be oi' a purely comic design, or one which shall be appropriate for the corresponding advertisement upon the curtain C.

The operation of my said invention is as follows: The advertisements which it is desiredto display are arranged upon the curtain the intermediate gearing, operates to rotate.

the reels just a sufficient distance to wind up the curtain upon one reel and unwind itiroin the other sufliciently to bring anew advertisement into view. By reason oil the cross sprocketchains upon the rear end of the rollers which gear them together, it will be seen that the operation oil the gearing of one side also operaties that ot the other side of the device. 'lhus while one curtain is being unwound Al'roni the top reel and wound onto the bottom one the curtain upon theopposite side is being wound in the opposite direction. XV hen, 'for anyvreason, it is desired to reverse the operation or direction of winding, as when one curtain has been unwound its entire length, the lever upon the opposite side of the device is operated, which reverses the direction of the winding and again displays the advertisements successively, as will be readily understood.

While the gearing of one side is being operated the gearing on the otherv side runs i'ree lfrom the lever ll, but is prevented from being operated too great a distance by the catch bT on the lever 3G engaging with the ratchet-wheel Bf on each side and holding it from turning except when torce is applied, thus securing the desired tension to the curtains at all times, as will be readily understood. During the display any current news of especial interest can be readily posted upon the bulletin-boards provided in the front portions of the sides of the car, and thus another attractive :feature is added to the device, and one which will assist in fixing the advertisement in the minds of those who see it.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an advertising device, the combination of the frame-work, four reels or rollers arranged two at the top and two at the bottom of said frame-work, each top roller being geared tothe opposite bottom rollensuitable mechanism for operating the same, and display-curtains mounted on said reels or rollers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in an advertising device, of the frame-work, the bulletin-boards A mounted thereon, the four reels arranged therein, two at the top and two at the bottom of said frame-work, the gearing for operating said reels, and separate display-curtains attached to the reels on each side ot the device, substantially as set forth.l

3. The combination, in an advertising device, of the framework A, the reels B, arranged two at the top and two at the bottom of said frame-work, an d geared together, each top to the opposite bottom reel, the displaycurtain C, mounted thereon and bearing a series of advertisements, the display-curtain C, also mounted thereon and bearing a series of pictures calculated to attract attention to the advertisements on the curtain C, and the operating' mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. In anadvertising device, the combinar tion of the frame A, the reels B, arranged therein substantially as described, the curtains C and-C', mounted upon said reels and passing over the idler-rolls c,- mounted close to the sides of said framework, and the gearing for operating said reels, consisting of the levers B3, having the cam-pawls arranged to engage with the ratchet-wheels L", the pinion upon theend of the journal to said reels, the intermediate gearing and the ratchet-wheel B5, and pawl engaging therewith, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, in an adxf'ertising device, of the frame-Work provided with open sides, as described, the bulletin-boards arranged in the front openings, the four reels B, jour-nailed inside said frame-work, and geared together, the top roll on each side to thebottom roll on the opposite side, the eur- IOO IIO

nains C aud C', Carryinga serios of advortiso- I In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my mentes aud pictures mounted on reels and arhand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this ranged to lill the middle and rear open spaces 13th day of November, A. D. 1888.

on the sides of said framework, and passing Y XVILLIAM L. CALDWYELL. [L 5 over theidler-rolls-c, and the back C', mounted XVitvueSse-S:

behind said curtains To Steady them in posi- E. XV. BRADFORD,

tion, s1'11' s13a11tiaily as soi; forth. C. NV. H. BROWN. 

